THIRTY-ONE

The moment we got back home, Scarlet Sapphira, for the first time I...any of us remembered, ran into Rose's embrace first.

She cried as she hugged her mother and apologized for everything and Rose also apologized, she had no excuse for not being a better mother.

Rose turned to Amane while still hugging her daughter, then whispered a thank you, then he slightly bowed and walked away, till her eyebrows furrowed as Ruby asked,"Amane, where are you going?"

"I was going to get a hotel reservation."

"But don't you want to live with us anymore?"She asked.

He smiled slightly and said,"No, not really, I don't want to live on your resources any longer, you already have a big enough family to cater for, not to mention all the staff."

"When did I say I was complaining?"Luis asked.

Amane slightly turned to Luis, but still tried to decline the offer, till Scarlet Sapphira walked slowly to him and kissed him on the lips, remaining in a hug, she asked,"Don't you want to live with...me, anymore?"

Without hesitation, he said,"No...I mean, yes, I do want to live with you, but it's just..."

"... official, you're staying with us, and your mother..."

He looked at his mother as she silently sat in the car with me, looking to her feet then back at us, who had spontaneously halved in number as some of us went to prepare a room for his mother and himself and the others went to help get her in.

We helped Mrs Alexandra Gelila...Bushida, to her room and gently placed her on the bed, but Amane didn't want to leave her side, not again.

Amane sat by his mother as she lay with her eyes wide open, motionless, till the door opened.

Scarlet Sapphira walked into the room then asked,"You aren't coming out again, are you? You've been in here for days."

"I know she could come back at any minute, and don't want to miss it."

She sat beside him and was about to lie on him when she pulled back and asked,"You haven't taken a shower, have you?"

"I prefer my mature manly musk to roses and vanilla."

"...get out..."

"Scarlet Sapphira..."

"Don't worry, I'll watch your mother, you still have to take care of yourself...and your hygiene."

She shoved him out of the room then slammed the door behind him, he was quite uneasy, but let out a slight chuckle and went to get changed.

After returning, the door was open and Scarlet Sapphira took in a deep breath then said,"Roses and vanilla, I like that."

"And I like you."He said and hugged her.

She giggled as he took her into the room then there was a gentle knock on the door and he went to answer, revealing a ravishingly beautiful woman with pale, almost platinum blonde hair, fair skin and silver eyes.

She presented him with lunch and a couple of coats then said,"It's getting cold, you should layer up, and I hope your mother gets well soon."

After she closed the door and left, he was still dazed as he asked Scarlet Sapphira,"Who was that?"

"My cousin, Lucinda, why?"

"I've never seen her before..."

"Yeah, she has been out of town for a while."

"Why on earth are all the girls in this family so freaking tall?"

"Maybe I won the genetic lottery being born here."She said with a frown.

"No, I won the dating game being born here."He said and gently kissed her as she smiled...

***

Scarlet Sapphira listened to Amane as he gently hummed that same tune, she could not get enough of it till she was called downstairs and said she needed to go.

It may have sounded petty, but Amane missed her in the twelve minutes she was gone, till Jack Johnson passed by, carrying some papers...

Scarlet Sapphira walked back into the room and saw him holding the papers then he looked at her, with a slightly shocked expression then said,"I didn't know you wrote poems."

"They're songs, I don't blame you if you think they're poems, they're awful and bland..."

"I was just going to say..."

"What do you expect?! I was a dumb kid going through puberty and adolescence! I had a lot of mood swings!"

He walked closer as she continued,"That's the reason I quit, they're useless..."

He quickly grabbed her by the waist and held her close then said,"Don't you ever stop, they're beautiful, like the hands which wrote them, that's what I wanted to say..."

She was breathing slowly as he drew nearer, and whispered into her ear,"Sing me a piece..."

"I...I can't..."

"Why not?"

"Your mom needs to rest and my voice is terrible plus, I have a sore throat and lost the little singing voice I had years ago."

"Your voice sounds wonderful...but I wouldn't force you to do anything you don't want to do... it's just a matter of time..."

She looked at him, then asked if she could have the papers, then he gave them to her, but held both her hands and said,"Please, don't get rid of them, don't get rid of who you are..."

She smiled slightly and said,"Stop being so cheesy."

She then walked out of the room with the song and he sat beside his mother again, it's just a matter of time...

Scarlet Sapphira opened her eyes and realized Amane was gone.

She looked around for him, following the beautiful but unfamiliar voice from the balcony facing the Brooklyn bridge and saw him sing...